Partners
Octavia’s POV
I stood in the middle of music class. Everyone was buzzing with excitement. Noteworthy, our music teacher was trying…rather unsuccessfully to calm the class down long enough to tell us which ponies would represent the school in the upcoming Equestria Music Competition. The winning school would get to perform at the Grand Galloping Gala. That alone got the class in an uproar.
“Now class…settle down… Fiddlesticks could you please put down your fiddle for just a moment? Lyra please wait to continue your texting marefriend after class…”
“Her name is Bon Bon,” Lyra muttered. I rolled my eyes. This was the most important news that could come to our school, and everypony wouldn’t shut up long enough to hear it.
“Class…okay. Now that everyone is calmed down, I’d like to say that the Equestria Music challenge among schools is happening in one month. It will take place in Canterlot, and need I remind you the winning school will get to perform at the-”
“Grand Galloping Gala” I finished for him, unable to stop myself. I mean come on! It was the Grand Galloping Gala. An opportunity like this only comes once in a lifetime.
“Yes, thank you Octavia. As I was saying, only two ponies from each school are allowed to participate. And although the decision was very hard for our school because all of you young mares and colts are quiet talented, we decided that the two ponies going are-“
Suddenly the door to the music room flew open, and in walked Rhythm-a blue unicorn with a record-disk cutie mark, Zap Note-a pale grey earth pony stallion with white and silver streaked mane that covered his left eye and an electric guitar cutie mark, and of course, Vinyl Scratch-the white unicorn pony with blazing blue mane, beamed 8th note cutie mark, and ridiculous sunglasses, which she wore everywhere. I swear I don’t even know what her eye color is. This trio, as always, arrived fifteen minutes late into class.
“Is there an excuse why you three are late once again to our class?” Noteworthy asked impatiently.
“Not really. I, being one of the most famous dubtrot ponies, am just arriving fashionably late with my friends” Vinyl answered, smirking. Noteworthy stared at her disapprovingly, waiting and hoping for a better explanation.
"Well excuse me for not wanting to spend my precious time with stuck-up, posh, classical ponies” Vinyl snorted. I narrowed my eyes at the unicorn. She thought she was so cool with her ear-bleeding dubtrot music. How she even got into this renowned music class was beyond me. Noteworthy sighed and shook his head. Vinyl and her other club pony wannabe friends sat down in a lump, acting disinterested as can be.
“As I was saying….” Noteworthy grumbled. “The two ponies that will be representing our school at the Equestria Music Competition are…Octavia and Vinyl Scratch!”
“What?” Vinyl and I screamed in unison. My dream, my one chance to be a part of the Grand Galloping Gala, and I had to perform with Vinyl Scratch! I glanced over and saw her half smirking half glaring at me, if that was even possible. Vinyl stood up and accepted to be a part of this ‘great honor’ as she sarcastically called it. She glanced at me, daring me to decline. However, I was not one for giving up such an opportunity. I stood and spoke so everypony could hear me.
“It would be my pleasure to work with Vinyl Scratch for our school,” Was it just me or did Vinyl Scratch look at me with a look similar to respect and admiration?
“Hey Octy,” Vinyl smiled at me.
“Yes?” I asked uncertainty.
“Let’s win this,”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I paced impatiently back and forth across Vinyl Scratch’s bedroom. We had only three weeks before we performed in Canterlot, and we hadn’t even chosen a song, let alone practiced yet!
“Vinyl Scratch! It has been three weeks since we’ve been chosen to perform at the competition, and we haven’t even chosen a song yet!” I lectured. She merely rolled her eyes, or at least, I thought she did. She was still wearing those horrible sunglasses.
“Maybe because every song I chose, you shoot down,”
“We are not doing dubtrot to represent our school, Vinyl!”
“Well I refuse to do your classical crap, Octy,”
“We have to decide on something! If we don’t-”
“Chill out Posh Princess, we have two weeks-”
“Three weeks, Vinyl!”
“Even better. So calm the buck down and have a drink,” Vinyl shrugged taking another swig of her red apple wine. I swiftly took
the glass away from her, causing her to frown.
“What was that for?”
“The last thing we need is for you to be drunk!” I snapped.
“Okay, okay. Chill” She shrugged stretching out. She leapt of her bed and started towards the door.
“Where in the name of Celestia are you going?”
“Out,”
“Not until we decide on a song,” But even as I said the words Vinyl was already out the door, leaving me alone in her dorm. I usually found it beneath me to snoop, but a pony like Vinyl was such a mystery.
I walked around her room, which was a complete mess by the way. Clothes strewn across the floor, beer cans littered carelessly, and splats of pain that Vinyl called art covered the walls. As I wandered around more I noticed pictures of Vinyl as a young filly. Only…something was different. She was trying to play the harp, but she was holding it all wrong. Her hooves looked clumsy.
Her mane, which was normally spiked and wild, was now curly. Her sunglasses were gone, and in their place were sophisticated prescription glasses. I noticed her eyes…a bright violet. Funny, everypony bet that they were red. I wasn’t the only pony who noticed that she never lacked her dark glasses. But her eyes….Instead of being filled with spark as I had expected, they were filled with sadness and loneliness. She was wearing a beautiful red gown, but she didn’t look too happy about it.
Next to her stood rich dignified looking ponies. One, a white mare with a long flowing brown mane and bright purple eyes, played the violin, and had a similar violin as her cutie mark. Next to her stood a tall handsome gray stallion with short curly blue mane and dark brown eyes, with a musical note similar to Vinyl’s on his flank. He was playing the piano. I realized instantly that these two ponies were the famous Legato and Classica—Equestria’s most well-known orchestra ponies!
Then it hit me. They must be her parents! But how could such a wild and reckless pony like Vinyl Scratch be the daughter of such dignified and regal ponies? Suddenly the door swayed open and a very angry Vinyl Scratch appeared.
“What do you think you’re doing?”